Happy Ending
by x Conspiracy x
Summary: Seth returns to Newport...but where is Summer? Why did she leave? Was it his fault? Seth is determined to find out... but what if he's too late?
1. This Bitter Pill

**Happy Ending**

**Chapter 1: This Bitter Pill **

**Summary: Seth returns to a Summer-less ****Newport****. Why did she leave? Where did she go? Was it his fault? He is determined to find out...But will he before it's too late?**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… don't sue me.**

**A/N: Yes, another one… the song is _This Bitter Pill_ by dashboard confessional… the one that has a short little excerpt from the song is _the places you have come to fear the most _also by dashboard…i wrote this in the week prior to the show...read and review please!**

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"Where is she?" Seth Cohen demanded, slamming his hand down on the kitchen counter.

"Seth, what makes you think that now, just seconds after you asked me the last time, I'm going to change my mind and tell you?" Marissa replied, standing up and walking to the coffee pot. "She left for a good reason, and obviously doesn't want to see you. You should respect her decision and let her alone."

"How do you know she doesn't want to see me?" Seth asked. "You just found out I was back home, so obviously had no time to tell her. How do you know she won't change her mind?"

"Because I know my best friend," she replied, and walked out of the room with her coffee. She didn't need to argue with Seth anymore.

"Where are you going?" he called after her. When she didn't stop, he followed her into the living room. "Marissa, please!"

"Seth, just go home and be with your family. You just came back; don't you think you should spend some time with them?" Marissa sighed. He was really beginning to annoy her.

"Not until I find out where Summer is," he told her, spinning her around, almost spilling the coffee, and looking into her eyes. "Marissa, I love her with all of my heart, and knowing that _I _caused her to leave hurts so much. I want to talk to her, to tell her how sorry I am for letting go. She needs to understand why I left, where I went, and why I came back. I came back because of her. I love her, Marissa, and I know you're not one who wants to keep true love apart."

Marissa sighed, placing her coffee on the table. "Seth, look, I want to tell you where she is, but can't. I promised her that I wouldn't tell _anyone_. I'm the only person in Newport who knows where she is staying. But…I can talk to her. If she wants me to tell you where she is, I will. I just… I just don't want to tell you and then have something awful happen."

"How could brining two people in love back together be awful?" Seth spat, but noticing the trying look on Marissa's face, continued. "Okay… but as soon as you talk to her, tell me."

"Okay," she replied as Seth turned and headed out the door. This was all in Summer's hands now…

0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0

Summer Roberts walked through the fallen autumn leaves, with her arms wrapped around her in the wind. She wasn't used to the cold weather of the North, and certainly didn't like it. She missed the warmth of Newport, not to mention many other things about it. Sighing, she saw her breath in the cold air. She wasn't sure if she could get used to this…but she had to. She was going to be here for a long time.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, she pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled down through the address book. There it was; _his_ name. All she had to do was press _send_ and she could talk to him. But she couldn't. Quickly, she tossed her phone back into her purse, and headed down the street.

Minutes later, she was walking through the apartment door of the place she had come to know as her temporary home. No one was home, of course. Her roommate was usually out with some guy, one she didn't know, but was supposedly her "friend" from a long time ago. Summer, surprisingly, spent most of her days walking outside, or just home alone thinking. Nothing really mattered except staying far, far away from Newport.

Heading back to her room, she noticed the answering machine blinking, but disregarded it and kept walking. It was either some recording calling to tell her to vote for someone or not for her. Marissa was the only one who knew this number, and she would have called her cell phone anyway. Popping a few CDs into her 5 disk changer, she plopped down on her bed in the corner of the room and curled up under the warm blankets. Ever since she and Seth started dating, she had started listening to more of his type of music. Well, it wasn't really his type yet, but she was getting there. She had started, really, with Rooney and headed in the "punk" direction, listening to more popular bands, like New Found Glory and Simple Plan. Gradually, she had come to like Dashboard Confessional, but really wasn't into the _real _emo as Seth used to call it, like Bright Eyes and Death Cab.

Right now the sounds of Dashboard Confessional were filling her room. This had been the band she had turned to after… she left. All the songs just seemed to describe everything she was feeling, while the other bands just couldn't come close to it. Summer closed her eyes, leaning back her head, and began singing along with the whiney voice of Chris Carabba…

_"…in the grave that you refuse to leave, the refuge that you've built to free, the places you have come to fear the most. It's the place that you have come to fear the most…" _she sang, but was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Without even looking at the name, she closed it. She wasn't in the mood to really talk right now- even if it was to Marissa.

She sat for moments, just staring out into the dark night, but when the next song came on her eyes were overcome by tears. Blinking them back, she began to sing once again to the song that related too much to what she had gone through after Seth had left…

_"Walking away, it's not the same as running is it to you now, that you've run this in the ground. And you say take this, this medicine is just what you deserve- swallow, choke and die," _she began, closing her eyes and remembering the night she found out he was gone…

0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo

**Walking away, it's not the same as running  
Is it to you now? That you've run this in the ground**

**But you say take this, this medicine  
Is just what you deserve – swallow, choke, and die**

_"Summer, I think you need to get over here," Sandy Cohen said, on the other end of the phone. _

_Without a second thought, Summer was in her car, speeding over to the Cohen's house. What could have happened? What did Seth do? Is he okay?_

_Within minutes she was pulling into their driveway, and before she knew it, was sitting in the Cohen's kitchen trying to take in all of this. _

_  
"So…he just… left?" Summer choked out, trying to blink back her tears. "And he… he didn't tell anyone?"_

_"No," __Sandy__ told her, "he didn't tell anyone, but he did leave this." He said, sliding the note across the table._

_"Thank you," she said in a barely audible whisper. "I…I'm going to go home. I'll call if he wrote anything important." She finished, practically running out the front door and to her car. She drove home almost faster than she drove to the Cohen's in the first place, and ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her. Sitting down on her bed, she opened the letter and began to read:_

**_Summer,_**

**_I'm sure if you're reading this, you know I'm gone. My parents probably called you over and explained everything, then gave you this. Before I say anything else, I just want you to know that I didn't want to leave you, but I had to. I love you so much, but I just needed this. I've taken my boat out and plan on sailing somewhere. I don't know where yet, but as soon as I get there, I'll call and tell you I'm all right. I want you to know how hard it was for me to leave you. You were and are everything that I could ever want, but I understand if you don't feel the same way now that I have gone. You can wait for me; in fact I would love it if you did. But I can't ask you to do something you don't want to do. Go out and live this summer. But…please, don't wait for me because I asked you to, and also, please…don't hate me. I love you Summer. I have loved you my entire life, and I don't think I'll ever stop loving you. So, before I change my mind, I'm going stop writing. _**

**_Love,_**

**_Seth_**

****

****

****

_Tears were streaming down Summer's cheeks as she finished the letter. He left and didn't say for how long or where he was going. What if he got hurt? What if he ran into a storm while he was sailing? God…she couldn't lose him. Marissa had just lost Ryan, and if Seth was gone too… she didn't know what she would do. _

**And this bitter pill is leaving you**

**With such an angry mouth**

**One that's void of all discresion**

**Such an awful tearing sound**

**With its measure only equal by **

**The power of my stare**

**Blaring over you, and over you**

**This feeling of despair is never wearing out**

_0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo_

_Days later Seth still hadn't called, or even answered his phone. Every time she called, it rang once and went straight to his voicemail. Summer was sitting on her bed, staring down at the things spread across it. Pills? Alcohol? Razorblade? She decided on the first two, and tossed the other off of her bed. Her life had gone completely downhill in the past week. Her father had been gone for a month, leaving only a note that said "business trip – be back in a week" on the front door. Well, it was more than a week and there was no call. Marissa was at home every day, drinking away her problems or trying to muster up the courage to call him. And Seth, the only constant she had in her life, and he wasn't calling or answering the phone. What else could she do?_

**It's wearing out and it's leaving you**

**With such a heavy heart and a head to match**

**The bottle is waiting, the cap is twisted**

**Begging to be used and so are you**

_Unscrewing the caps of both of the bottles, she sat them on the table. Could she do this? What else did she have? It's not like she had a father that cared anymore, a best friend who was there, or the one thing she thought she could always depend on- Seth. What else did she have? Nothing- absolutely nothing._

_She picked up the bottle of pills and poured some into her hand. Closing her eyes for what could possibly be the last time, she tilted her head back and dumped them into her mouth. For moments, she just sat there as the coating wore off, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She had to do this… there was nothing else. Picking up the bottle of vodka, she poured that into her mouth, but still couldn't bring herself to swallow. Quickly, she spit the pills and alcohol back into the bottle, gagging at the bitter taste.. She looked at the bottle sitting there, trying to understand why she couldn't do this. She had nothing to live for._

_Looking over, she saw **the **box lying on the table. Tears filled her eyes again as more memories filled her head. Finally, she tossed the pills into the trashcan. She couldn't do this…she did_ _have **one** thing to live for. She couldn't do this._

**And this bitter pill is leaving you**

**With such an angry mouth**

**One that's void of all discresion**

**Such an awful tearing sound**

**With its measure only equal by **

**The power of my stare**

**Blaring over you, and over you**

**This feeling of despair is never wearing out**

**Wearing out, wearing out, wearing out**

**Wearing out, wearing out**

0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo

_Knock, Knock_

Summer's eyes opened at the noise, and glanced over at the clock; it was midnight.

"Come in," she called quietly, as a shadow appeared at her door.

"Summer," the girl sighed, flipping on the lights. "You can't do this to yourself… or Seth."

"What do you mean Seth? He's the one who left me," she replied, squinting in the light. "Besides, if he really wanted to talk to me he would have called my cell phone."

"Didn't you check the answering machine?" the girl asked back. "There's a message from Marissa. She was frantic, yelling about how Seth wouldn't stop bugging to find out where you were-"

"She didn't tell him did she?" Summer cut her off quickly. When the girl didn't reply, she continued. "Anna! Did she tell him?"

"What, that you're staying with me, or that you're carrying his baby?" Anna fired, a look of disgust adorning her face.

Summer sat in silence at this last comment. After a moment or so, Anna spoke up again, sitting down on the bed.

"Look, Sum," she sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? You need to tell Seth, though. You can't just pretend like nothing happened, and leave him wondering for the rest of your lives. Seth deserves to know that he's going to be a father."

"He can't," Summer replied, barely audible. "I'm doing this for him, Anna. You wouldn't understand. This child would ruin Seth's life. All of his dreams…his aspirations- everything would go down the drain if he had a child to look after. Look at Ryan and Theresa. Albeit she had a miscarriage, but he was willing to give up everything to care for a child he didn't even know was his own. Don't you think Seth would do that?"

Anna sighed. She had this conversation with Summer almost every night, but to no avail, she still stuck with her gut. Summer was determined not to let Seth know that she was pregnant, and living in Pittsburgh with Anna.

"Fine," was all she could say as she stood up and left Summer alone, once again.

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**A/N: So what do ya'll think? It really sounds familiar… like I heard this idea somewhere…and if I'm taking it, then please tell me. Maybe I just thought about it so many times it seems like I've read it, or watched a movie like it, or something somewhere. I don't know…but review please!!!**


	2. Nobody's Home

**Happy Ending**

**Chapter 2: Nobody's Home**

**Summary: Seth returns to a Summer-less ****Newport****. Why did she leave? Where did she go? Was it his fault? He is determined to find out.**

**Rating: PG-13 **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… don't sue me.**

**A/N: Thanks everyone for all the reviews!! Keep it up for this chapter please! Haha… oh yeah, and the song is _Nobody's Home _by Avril Lavigne…**

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**_I couldn't tell you  
_****_Why she felt that way  
_****_She felt it every day  
_****_And I couldn't help her  
_****_I just watched her make  
_****_The same mistakes again_**

Anna slammed her bedroom door behind her, plopping down at her computer chair and signing onto AOL. Was there _anything _she could do to make Summer realize that what she was doing was worse than what she thought could happen if she didn't? Probably not… that was something she had to do on her own.

**xOcraziinloveOx: **hey anna  
**brighteyes03: **hey maris  
**xOcraziinloveOx: **did sum get my message?  
**brighteyes03: **well, I did…gave it to her…and she doesn't seem to care… God, how am I supposed to get through to her?  
**xOcraziinloveOx: **I don't know if anyone can… she's **so **incredibly set in her ways… but she needs to realize that keeping this baby from Seth will hurt far worse than if she just told him… you know he'd be a good father

So caught up in the conversation with Marissa, Anna hadn't realized that as she was typing, someone else IM-ed her…

**brighteyes03: **yeah I know… that's exactly what she doesn't want, him giving up his entire life to help her with the baby… she doesn't want him to end up like Ryan almost did  
**lackofcolor04: **what???  
**brighteyes03: **oh sorry Seth, I was typing to…err… someone else…anyway, what's up?  
**lackofcolor04: **who is that about? Who doesn't want to end up like Ryan? Anna…what's going on?  
**brighteyes03: **nothing… it's not the Ryan you know… okay? So…what's up?  
**lackofcolor04: **well…I'm home…and Summer isn't… and Marissa won't tell me where the hell she is… you'd think she'd want us back together… ugh, Anna, I don't know what to do  
**brighteyes03: **did you try calling Summer's cell phone?  
**lackofcolor04: **Marissa said she didn't have it…  
**brighteyes03: **oh… well, I gotta go… I'll talk to you later

Thankful for the quick save, Anna turned back to Marissa's IM:

**brighteyes03: **ugh…I almost ruined everything… Seth IMed me as I was in the middle of typing something to you…thank **GOD **I didn't say his or Sum's name… that would have been horrible  
**xOcraziinloveOx: **you're telling me… can you do me a fave real quick?  
**brighteyes03: **sure…what is it?  
**xOcraziinloveOx: **you wanna go tell sum to give me a call?? Please…I've been trying to get a hold of her for a while now…it just goes straight to her voicemail.  
**brighteyes03: **sure…I have to go anyway…talk to you later… xoxo

Anna left the computer and headed back for Summer's room, afraid of what this next confrontation was going to be like.

**What's wrong, what's wrong now?  
****Too many, too many problems  
****Don't know where she belongs  
****Where she belongs  
****She wants to go home  
****But nobody's home  
****That's where she lies  
****Broken inside  
****There's no place to go  
****No place to go to dry her eyes  
****Broken inside**

"Hey Sum," Anna said in a calm, soft voice. "You awake?"

"Yeah," Summer replied quietly, "what do you want?"

"Marissa wants you to call her," she explained, sitting down on the edge of Summer's bed. "She really wants to talk to you, and you aren't answering your phone."

"Well, I'm not answering my phone for a reason," Summer shot back, clearly _not _in a good mood.

"Summer," Anna sighed, "Marissa is your best friend, just give her a call. And, come to think of it, you should call Seth while you're at it. He's back home…and he really wants to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to him," she said, her voice muffled by a pillow.

"You know, this isn't going to do anything- running away like this. Go home, Summer! You have a family in Newport that needs you, and friends who love you. Just go back Summer."

"Anna just stop," Summer yelled, lifting her head out of the pillow she had been talking into for the past few minutes. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, her eyes were red and bloodshot, and her mascara was smudged all over the place. "Don't you think I _want _to go home? Do you think I like being pregnant and single across the country from almost everyone I care about? Do you think I want to go through this? God, Anna! I don't _have _a family back in Newport. My father is never home anymore, Seth will hate me after I ruin his life with this baby, and Marissa is doing _just _fine now that _Ryan _is back. I want to go home more than you'll ever know, but I can't – not without ruining so many lives."

"You'll never know if you don't try, Summer," she stated coolly.

"And if I try, and I was right? Then what?" Summer asked, shaking her head. "Just go, Anna. If you don't want me staying here, I'll leave, but I won't go back to Newport- I won't!"

Anna stood up, heading for the door. "I don't want you to leave, Sum, but I do want you to tell Seth why you left and where you are." Without another word, she turned and walked out the door, leaving Summer alone with only her thoughts.

**Open your eyes and look outside  
****Find the reasons why  
****You've been rejected  
****And now you can't find  
****What you've left behind  
****Be strong, be strong now  
****What's wrong, what's wrong now?  
****Too many, too many problems  
****Don't know where she belongs  
****Where she belongs**

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo**

Hours later Summer lied, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't called Marissa, and wasn't planning on it. Right now, she just needed to be alone with her thoughts, and not constantly bothered by people telling her she needed to talk to Seth. No, she didn't need to talk to him. He left _her, _not the other way around. It might have been different had he been there the day she left- had he actually cared about someone other than himself. But that's how it was. He didn't care about her when he left, and she didn't- and wouldn't- care about him now.

Turning to look at the clock, she felt her elbow bump something, then heard a crash that sounded like glass breaking.

"Shit," she murmured, fumbling for the light. When she turned it on, though, she wished she hadn't. On the floor lied a picture frame, shattered into pieces, with a picture of her and Seth from… the day they created this child. Closing her eyes, she remembered…

**She wants to go home  
****But nobody's home  
****That's where she lies  
****Broken inside  
****There's no place to go  
****No place to go to dry her eyes  
****Broken inside**

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo**

_Summer quietly opened the door to the Cohen's house, looking around to make sure her suspicions were right, then walked in. Sandy and Kirsten decided they needed a vacation and went to the __Caribbean__ for the week. This was perfectly fine with Summer, seeing as Seth would be home...alone. Softly, she walked up the steps, opening the door to his dark room. It was only __5:00__, and the sun was already setting, leaving most of the house pretty dark._

_"Hey Cohen," Summer said in a low voice, turning off his TV, leaving the room only lit by the setting sun._

_"Hey Summer," he replied casually. "Why'd you turn the TV off? I can't see a thing."_

_Before he knew it though, he could see everything as clear as day. Summer was standing in a robe-well, over the robe that had just dropped- at the foot of his bed. Seth felt a growing discomfort as she crawled onto the bed, on top of him._

_"H-hey Summer," he said again. "How's it g-going?"_

_Summer laughed, placing soft kisses along his neck and collarbone. "Good. You?"_

_"Suddenly getting a **whole **lot better," he sighed as she brought her lips to his._

_"That's good," Summer replied pulling away for a brief moment, but then connecting her lips with his instantly._

_Pulling away again, she pulled his shirt over his head, and began tugging at his pants. Soon all of their clothes were lying across the floor. Before she knew it, Seth had Summer pinned to the bed in one swift motion. Now it was his turn. He placed kisses down her neck and collarbone, and back up to her lips again. Carefully, he entered her, rocking slowly back and forth in a sensual, loving motion._

_Leaning up, Summer got the courage to do what she had wanted for a while. "I love you," she whispered quietly into his ear. "I love you Seth Cohen."_

_"I l-love you too," Seth breathed. "I always have."_

**Her feelings she hides  
****Her dreams she can't find  
****She's losing her mind  
****She's falling behind  
****She can't find her place  
****She's losing her faith  
****She's falling from grace  
****She's all over the place  
**

_**0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo**_

_Summer lied on Seth's chest, feeling it move up and down with every breath he took. She loved this feeling more than anything in the world, and if she could, she would stay like this forever. Making love to the man she loved, then just laying in his arms was the most wonderful thing she could feel._

_'Wait!' Summer thought, realizing what just happened. 'Oh my God…we didn't use… oh my God.' _

_This thought, like most, led to another. Glancing at the clock, panic shot through her. She and Seth were supposed to have dinner with her father tonight… in five minutes!_

_"Seth!" she shrieked, shooting out of bed. "We were supposed to have dinner with my dad tonight!"_

_"What!?"__ Seth replied, also jumping up quickly. "God, he already hates me if he knew that we were late because-"_

_Seth was cut off by the sound of Summer's cell phone._

_"Hello?" she answered, knowing full well it was her dad._

_"Summer," his voice said on the other line. "Summer, I'm really sorry I'm not there. I got held up at a layover in __Philadelphia__. I tried calling earlier, but you didn't answer. I'm so sorry, honey. I should be there in at least an hour."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry. It's alright. We were wondering what happened, but figured that's what it was," she flat out lied. "We'll be waiting. See you then."_

_"Bye Summer," her father said, and she heard a click on the other end. Closing her cell phone, she breathed a sigh of relief._

_"We have an hour to get ready," she told Seth and quickly went to his closet, pulling out a few outfits and throwing them into a gym bag sitting in his locker. "My dad got stuck in Philly. You can get ready over at my house."_

_"But I need a shower," he said, standing up after putting his clothes back on. _

_"So do I," she replied winking, and before she knew it Seth was at the bottom of the steps calling her to hurry up. She laughed and walked out of the room…_

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo**

Summer sighed into her pillow. She missed those days…the ones where she didn't have a baby to think about. Closing her eyes she drifted off with dreams of living a wonderful life with Seth in her head.

**She wants to go home  
****But nobody's home  
****That's where she lies  
****Broken inside  
****There's no place to go  
****No place to go to dry her eyes  
****Broken inside  
S****he's lost inside, lost inside oh, oh  
****She's lost inside, lost inside oh, oh **

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**A/N: so? How was it…be brutally honest haha… review please!!!! ::mwahs:: I love you…unless you don't review then forget about that! hehe**


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